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School Safety Committee Announces First Meeting

posted by David Lewis | 82sc
March 07, 2018

Raleigh, N.C. – The chairmen of the state House Select Committee on School Safety have announced the committee’s first meeting is planned for Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at 9:00 am in Room 643 of the Legislative Office Building.

The committee plans to meet until noon, break for a two-hour lunch and resume at 2 p.m.

North Carolina House Reps. David Lewis (R-Harnett) and John Torbett (R-Gaston), co-chairs of the state House Select Committee on School Safety, released a joint statement:

“This committee’s proactive process will produce a valuable resource for North Carolina citizens, educators and law enforcement,” Lewis and Torbett said in a statement. "We hope the committee record can serve as a centralized and comprehensive overview of school safety in our state.”

“Our first mission is to provide data, reports and expert input from state and local officials who are trained and experienced in school safety to the committee members. Next, we can consider new policy recommendations, hear innovative ideas and review which current procedures are effectively protecting students and educators.”

In 2013 the state General Assembly enacted a series of school safety laws, including an optional Volunteer School Safety Resource Officer Program that drew support from at least one county in recent weeks.

The proactive school safety laws passed in 2013 also encouraged the statewide development of training exercises, anonymous tip lines, crisis kits, and response plans by local education districts and law enforcement agencies.

State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) announced the formation of the state House Select Committee on School Safety on February 20, 2018, following the deaths of 17 people in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Moore said the committee would take a proactive approach that reflects a heightened interest in the issue of school security in recent weeks:

“We are receiving an unprecedented level of outreach regarding this committee’s focus on keeping children safe,” Moore said. “The public shares our sense of urgency for securing North Carolina classrooms. I’m confident the committee chairs and members will respond with a thorough, productive agenda to improve school safety.”